


Critical Failure

by Cevapcicilove



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Coma, Coping, Hospitalization, Loss of Limbs, Lot's of Talon, Medical Procedures, Mentions of Death, angst and hurt, now y'all finally know where that arm went
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-19 07:13:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20327188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cevapcicilove/pseuds/Cevapcicilove
Summary: "What happened?", Echo asked, a puzzled tone in her synthetic voice.McCree's lips turned up in a tight smile, memories, almost forgotten, coming back up."Huh", he exhaled, shrugging. "Well, that's a story for another time".______________________________________This is the time to tell that story - and find out how McCree lost his arm.Featuring lots of Blackwatch, feels and angst. This isn't a happy place.





	Critical Failure

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The4E](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The4E/gifts).

It was not the first time McCree was driving together with Gabriel. Actually thinking about it, nobody else ever drove on their shared missions, but never had Jesse ever seen him drive _like this_. Below them, the wheels screeched as if only barely holding onto their axes, yet Gabriel did not even seem to think about taking out the gas just a tiny bit, eyes dead fixated on the vehicle ahead.

“Saving the Professor is our top priority”, creaked the voice of Fio, Blackwatch’s number one pilot, from their speakers. She was young, even immature at times, but as far as Jesse knew, she left some rough shit behind to join Blackwatch. Not especially an upgrade, in his opinion, but the girl had saved their asses more times than he liked to recount, exfiltrating them safely even from the most catastrophic situations with her helicopter with the hand painted “Blackwatch” logo. She was their very best, an irreplaceable part of their team. Nobody else could have gotten all of them safely out of the hell they broke loose In Venice, a few months prior.

“Genji. On my call”, Reyes growled between teeth grit in concentration, still forcing the gas pedal down. The outside had long become a single smeared blur, the vehicle going almost 220 km/h. At this speed, every single pebble felt like it could launch the car out of its path into the air, but Reyes’ hands didn’t even so much as tremble.

“On your call”,

Repeated the heavily accentuated, synthesized voice coming from the ninja’s faceplate. McCree did not need to look at him to know he was out for blood already; the cyberninja seemed to have spent even more time than usual sharpening that ridiculously unpractical katana of his, to the point McCree was convinced it was the only thing he derived something akin to “joy” from these days.

100 meters distance.

Moira looked even more stern and sinister than usual; maybe because she knew Professor Dr. Dr. Clinton personally, and, having worked together with him, she was worried for his wellbeing? For a second, McCree was almost inclined to believe that this personified limestone could _actually feel_, and something other than arrogance and disdain at that.

70 meters left.

Gabriel’s leather gloves gripped the steering wheel harder, as if that somehow made them go faster. He knew how important this mission was. Clinton was a top leading scientist on the topic of cybernetisation on global scale, his expertise absolutely priceless. If he were to fall into Talon’s hands, McCree didn’t even want to envision what they _wouldn’t do_ to get that precious knowledge and technology they craved. If it went well for him, they would make him an offer he could not deny; if he was less fortunate… he didn’t doubt Talon’s determination or the effectiveness of their methods. Even the strongest minds and bodies eventually succumbed to torture. As far as Blackwatch knew, Talon had interest in mutilating their own soldiers, only to “improve” them cybernetically afterwards, making them physically superior in every way. 

50 meters left.

The nearer they came to their target, the more dust was hurled at their windshield, worsening their sight. Despite everything else, Talon seemed to put a lot less resources into their vehicles than their weapons, given their target was just an ordinary, black transporter for about eight people, with darkened windows.

_Subtle_, McCree thought to himself, suddenly wishing he could take just a tiny little smoke, to take off a little bit of his tension.

30 meters left.

McCree’s hand came to rest on the door handle, his heart beating strangely placid for the importance of his task just seconds from now. It was an overstatement to say that he was used to being close to death, but he had certainly learned that staying calm was advisable when there was a gun pressed against your temple.

10 meters left.

Once more Fio’s voice came cracking through comm: “Confirm sight contact to your vehicle, I’ll give you cover”, she said, and even without seeing her, Jesse could hear the small, but mischievous smile on her face.

0 Meters until target.

Both cars were right next to each other, neither of them slowing down. “Now!” Gabriel shouted, and McCree struggled to open the passenger door against the violent onslaught of rushing air. He didn’t even see Genji move next to him, but suddenly the ninja held himself with both hands on the edge of the car roof, before swinging into the enemy vehicle, bursting the window with the heels of his cybernetic feet. Jesse saw a blur of action happening behind the broken glass, before both cars began to spin out of control, Gabriel unable to hold their course against the changed aerodynamics of the open door any longer. The vehicle started to turn around its own axis, once, twice, thankfully at least not completely flipping over, Jesse thought, before they finally slowed to a halt.

“Genji! _Update_!” Gabe barked into his mic, already throwing open the door without even wasting a glance on Moira or McCree on the backseat. The Talon transporter had stopped as well, a few meters ahead. There was some smoke coming from under the hood, blood forming a puddle under one of the passenger doors.

“Genji! _What is your status_?!””, Gabe repeated, still sprinting ahead, pulling both of his ridiculously large shotguns. Jesse caught up to him quickly, bringing out “Peacekeeper”.

The transporter was standing still, which at least meant that the ninja must have successfully taken out its driver.

“Hurry up, _I’m under fire_!” came over comm, as Fio drew tight circles with her helicopter, moving unpredictably to avoid as many shots as possible. McCree turned his head around, trying to make out the attackers. Where was all of this damage coming from? _He didn’t see anybody_. It also meant that there were more Talon forces than they had anticipated, which was not necessarily a surprise, but still McCree had hoped that this mission would – just for a change – go well and easy. Right now, this could easily become as nasty as Venice.

_He really wished he could smoke right now. _

Jesse new just how hot Texan summer days were, and while he usually didn’t mind, he really wished it were a little bit cooler, given that the three of them were still sprinting at full speed in complete Blackwatch-mission gear.

They didn’t know what to expect, as Genji still had not given his all clear, not with Fio still under fire from hidden attackers and enemy reinforcement probably on the way.

“Take another step and that’s it”, they heard a voice from just a few meters ahead.

Genji stood in front of the transporter, completely unmoving except for his fingers, dancing lightly across the handle of his katana.

Two soldiers – probably the last two survivors – stood there, clad in full Talon attire so shiny that it was unlikely it had ever seen use before.

“We’ll blast his precious brain out, so be careful”, one of them threatened, and only now it was that McCree realized the Professor was kneeling between them, gagged with his own tie, face pressed to the ground and with his hands tied behind his back.

He was younger than Jesse had assumed a man of his reputation to be – in his late thirties, his blonde hair disheveled and dirty. But most importantly, he saw the absolute and undeniable fear for his life in the man’s eyes, that even his efforts to keep them closed could not hide.

“Drop your weapons”, a soldier ordered, pressing the muzzle of his machine gun harder against the whimpering Professor’s temple, grinding his face into the dirt in his effort to get just a millimeter away. Not that it would have made any difference. McCree knew what it looked like to shoot somebody from that close, and it was something he would rather not see again.

He sought eye contact with Reyes, watched his reaction. Normally, two simple Talon ground units were even less than no challenge, given that they were in the majority by two. However, those stupid soldiers sat on the longer, more fatal lever, and they absolutely did not want to pull it. They could just hope those simpletons wouldn’t lose their composure: Both Blackwatch and Talon wanted Dr. Clinton alive.

“And hand them over! Out of your reach!” the other soldier added. McCree wondered dimly, how those two thought this would go. Did they really expect to win, take the Professor and get out of this?

Only for the fraction of a moment, McCree’s eyes skipped down to his belt, where five of his flashbangs still dangled. He had done this trick way too often – didn’t mean it couldn’t work once more.

_It’s worth a try. _

“Ground team, _hurry the fuck up_! They’ve air support! I’m getting blasted!” Fio shouted through their in-ear comms, her voice edging on panic. McCree brushed his concerns aside – they didn’t have much time, especially not enough for keeping up this scheme, as if they were actually trying to negotiate with those…terrorists.

He spit on the ground, pulling the pin out of the first grenade and threw his entire belt at them. Reyes and Moira, both unprepared, gasped at the sudden assault on their eyes, but they would understand that he couldn’t warn them. He hoped. More importantly, he caught the Talon units off guard, and before sight had been restored entirely, there were two shots, followed by the muffled sound of bodies hitting the ground, lifelessly.

“We got Clinton. Get down here, Fio!” McCree ordered via comm, removing the Professors gag and restraints. The sound of the helicopters rotor quickly got louder, whirling up dust around and all over them. “Hurry up, we’ve got several potentially critical areas where those goddamned bastards straight up blasted through the plating; Let’s hope this baby can hold it together till we’re outta here!”, she answered. “Get on that car to climb inside, that way I don’t have to hit the ground”, Fio ordered.

Genji silently stepped up to the Professor, supporting his obviously weakened body and helped him climb on top of the still smoking transporter.

McCree looked up to the sky, eyes squinting against the sun and suddenly widening “Fio, watch out! Helicopter behind you!” he shouted into his mic, but the first missiles already surged through the air, leaving dark trails behind as they approached their getaway vehicle.

“Take cover!” Reyes roared, but they were on open field. No trees, houses, just nothing to take cover behind, except for the two cars. A horrible, loud bang, followed by another, and another, made them flinch. Fio’s helicopter tilted above them, spiraling downwards quickly, the rotor screeching as Fio probably tried to get it working again.

It was one single second. This very moment that should change McCree’s life.

It was nothing but the simple question: Left or right?, which should influence every second of his future.

He had less than half a second to guess where the aircraft would come down, where he would be _safer. _

He made his decision.

McCree launched off the transporter to the left, barely seeing Reyes and Moira jump off the right side.  
He had lost track of Genji seconds ago, hoping Clinton was still with him.

It felt like time had slowed down as shattered glass rained down on him, his body frozen as the helicopter tilted more and slammed nose first into the hard ground. The rotor blades hit earth, distorted and broke into deadly projectiles. Jesse could not even differentiate where he was hurting anymore when the helicopter crashed above him, leaving nothing but a giant pile of tightly crumbled scrap.

Lying face down on the hard, unforgiving earth, shards digging into his skin, McCree wished nothing more than for his body to finally shut down, let him pass out. Every breath was one thousand needles in his lungs, the dust settling seemingly heavier than years of extensive smoking had. A large hand grabbed his shoulder, turning him around roughly and onto his back. He wanted to scream, feeling like his left arm was being ripped out of its socket. However, no sound wanted to leave his mouth, as he dizzily watched the man above him move his lips. They opened and closed, as if talking, but he did not hear a thing. The man even seemed to shout at him – Reyes, his confused mind remembered, as he continued staring into his dark eyes and the tanned face. There was a slap on his face, another one, only light, as if to make him get up, find back to himself.

McCree opened his mouth again, tried to articulate his pain, but he couldn’t seem to produce a sound. Or did he? He didn’t know.

It was all too loud, the whistling in his ears, only disrupted by the noise of his own heavy breathing. He struggled on the ground, taking in the sight of a bloody stump where his left hand had been seconds ago, panically looking back up to Reyes.

The blood flowing from him was warm, so nicely warm.

Had he really been sweating just minutes ago?

Right now, even the burning sun above them didn’t seem to warm him more than a candle on a dinner table.

On the edge of his mind, he somewhat registered a hand sliding under his back and another to his knees. The man seemed to grunt as he struggled to lift his limp body off the floor, but he was strong and so nicely warm.

With every passing second, Jesse felt the coldness crawl deeper, the world around him started to spin and blur. Every step the man – _Reyes_ – took hurt, every vibration sending shocks of hot, searing pain through his body. He tried to stay awake.

He really did.

But every convulsion made him a little bit weaker and before Gabriel even reached the car, the long-awaited darkness finally took Jesse in.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> I hope you liked it, feel free to leave feedback as this is my first ever FF.  
I normally have difficulties writing with pre-existing characters, but i think i did fairly well. 
> 
> Thanks to @The_Ephyre for translating this into english!  
She's also the one who talked me into writing this for her in the first place. 
> 
> More coming soon! :D


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